72 The Ottawa Naturalist. [June 



to have been originally brought from China, and a curious 

 legend respecting it, not generally known may prove of interest. 

 It is as follows :-- 



Centuries before the Christian era, great calamities befell 

 the Chinese Empire, and the prime minister was threatened by 

 the Emperor with the loss of his head unless he devised a means 

 of averting the wrath of the gods. Asserting that it had been 

 revealed to him in a dream to make a sacrifice of men, women 

 and fruits in a far off island where the gods made their abode, 

 a vessel was placed at his disposal in which were collected lOO 

 of the strongest young men and fairest maidens, together with 

 the finest fruits. Amongst the stores was the " Eak-hap " which 

 translated means the " Lily of the ico fields." Jt was esteemed 

 a sweet and dainty morsel, and an especial delicacy. The vessel 

 sailed away, and this was the last the Emperor heard of his prime 

 mmister, who, however, when once on the voyage intimated to 

 youths and maidens that instead of being sacrificed they would 

 inhabit and populate the beautiful island he knew of, one of the 

 islands of Japan. They willingly agreed to this, and in due 

 course of events, by reason of the change of soil the " Bak-hap " 

 gradually assumed greater height and strength and a more 

 luxuriant bloom. As it improved in beauty it became less useful 

 as an article of food, and as strong taste had developed for 

 refinement and art in the new colony, its use as an article of food 

 was abandoned. Hundreds of years rolled on and the island 

 became a land of floriculture. The '• Bak-hap " grew steadily in 

 beauty and was finally exported to Europe as a new garden 

 flower, until an American noticing its splendour secured some of 

 bulbs, and being interested in the Bermudas introduced it there 

 where it seems to have made its home. 



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